The Arizona Cardinals added veteran tight end Charles Clay this past week, signing him to a one-year contract. When the deal was reported, it was said to be worth up to $3.25 million for the season.
While that is true, the contract is heavy on incentives.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported first it was for up to $3.25 million and that Clay receives a $350,000 signing bonus.
However, Clay’s base salary is $1.15 million. According to Over the Cap, he will also earn up to $500,000 in roster bonuses, based on games he is active. The Cardinals commonly put these in their player contracts, usually between $250,000 and $500,000.
If he were to be active every game in 2019, that would be $2 million total between the signing bonus, roster bonuses and salary.
That means up to $1.25 million is incentive based. It is a very low-risk contract for the Cardinals at a position where they lacked production in 2018.
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